Cecilia León de la Barra’s designs are deeply entrenched in traditional Mexican folk art, but with a contemporary, playful reinterpretation of colors, shapes and possible uses. Her design work is driven by inspiration from everyday life.
She varies her choice of materials: It ranges from lacquered aluminum, a swith her “Charola 2020” tray for Galeria Mexicana de Diseño, extends to painted ceramic tableware such as “Maíz de Mar” (in collaboration with ceramics maker Cerámica Noe Suro), through to her “Revistero Acapulco” newspaper rack, made of thread and wire and already featured in two shows in Mexico.
All her products share a zest for color and a graphic idiom. This is especially clear in her furniture: colored plastic wickerwork and resembling two-dimensional drawings when viewed from afar. Or her tiles collection, which CLB created for a market in Mexico City, designed by Michel Rojkind. The lively tiled floor seems decidedly three-dimensional thanks to her take on traditional Mexican patterns with modern colors.
Everyday life offers Cecilia León de la Barra a treasure trove of inspiration, each day anew. And it is therefore only logical that all her objects are always fit for everyday use.
